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student running experiments in the Senter lab

Program Activities

Students will participate in a wide range of program activities before, during, and after the summer experience in New Zealand that will prepare them for the food industry. These include:  

  • Academic mentoring  
  • Instructional activities in food science and technology 
  • Professional development activities  
  • Summer research and education experience in New Zealand   
  • Industry site visits 
  • Effective learning workshops   
  • Research training workshops 
  • Outreach activities 
  • Colloquium 

Here is the timeline the IRES program will follow.

Activities Fall Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec.
Student Recruitment ✓
RECR Training ✓
Mentorship Workshop for Mentors ✓
Orientation ✓
Boot Camp: Food Science & Engineering ✓ ✓ ✓
Travel Preparation to New Zealand ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Pre-travel Research Training & Professional Development ✓ ✓
Research and Educational Experience in New Zealand ✓ ✓
Research Incubation Via UG Research at UTK ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
K-12 Outreach ✓ ✓ ✓
Professional Development Workshops ✓ ✓
IRES Colloquium ✓

All IRES students will present their research at the UTK EURēCA event following the IRES experience. 

Timetable of IRES Project Activities in New Zealand

Activities Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8 Week 9
Arrival of IRES students in Otago, New Zealand ✓
University, Department, and City Orientation ✓
Research and Lab Safety Training Activities ✓ ✓
Hands-On Research Activities ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Industry Visits ✓ ✓
High-School Visits and Māori Engagement ✓ ✓
Food Science Seminar Series at Otago ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
IRES Symposium at University of Otago ✓
Travel Back to the United States ✓